Nari-Lanreth

The line bobbed slightly, and Nari felt herself react instantly – the rod pulled back as she reeled in the line, hoping for something interesting as her first catch. She was, however, disappointed as the item slipped up onto the bank – a single leaf of some sort of sea plant that was anything but appealing. ’Well, it smells…fishy.’ Onora wrinkled her nose as Nari threw the item back into the water, ridding them of the smell and its presence. She reseated herself, choosing to ignore the comment and instead return to her attempts. She was only just starting out, so it was natural that her f

Nari waited for Onora to make her way into the garden before glancing around wholly. The area was, as it almost always was, beautiful in a way that no other floors within the world of Aincrad had yet to manage. She couldn’t help but wonder at it all – the flowing fields, the trees and forests that seemed to range into the wilds beyond, and the various lakes, rivers and ponds that could be seen throughout. ’It’s…amazing, as it always is, Nemo.’ Nari flashed a grin at the man-drake, seeing him revel in the compliment and her true breathlessness at it all. She had little doubt that the man-d

Nari was used to locating the form of Nemo – the man tended to stand out against most civilised areas, the straw hat and goofy lopsided smile anything but normality among a population fighting to stay alive in most cases. More so out of place in a town that was anything but alive. She’d found the non-player character at the very edge of the town, just beyond the gates leading beyond and outwards, his stance, colourful disposition, and general personality make him stand out against everything around him. ’Hey, Nemo. How’ve you been holding up?’ She gave a small wave, the shield and spear

’I would be excited to host you!’ They carried on in silence for a time after the commentary, speaking only randomly and sporadically as they crossed to the edge of the floor. Nemo commented on various things they saw, Nari and Onora providing brief, albeit polite commentary in return. The two women allowed Nemo the chance to engage and be excited, but never pressed him into any sort of frenzy of socialness; instead, simply letting him express himself as he saw fit in the moment. At some point Onora had linked arms with Nari, and although the knightess would’ve preferred to have her weapo

’Oh! It’s good to see you again as well, it’s been far, far too long! You don’t have to stay away, or be polite you know – the garden is always open to you for visiting!’ Nari sensed a deeper, almost desperate for attention tone beneath the words and kind smile. She’d learnt during a previous encounter just how lonely Nemo often got, and though she’d maintained a resentment towards the non-player character for some time, she’d thawed enough to feel a measure of pity towards his loneliness. A feeling that she herself had gone through, and wished upon no one else – even a computer generated bein

’We’ve been a bit busy, as of late. It’s held us up from visiting as much.’ Nari side eyed the man-drake, a smile on her face and yet a coldness to her tone that was anything but cheery. She quickly added to her statement after a sharp elbow to the ribs from Onora, taking the queue to attempt to be a bit more pleasant. ’We’ve missed you and the garden, though. It was high time we came back and spent some time together, there.’ The words were anything but entirely truthful, and yet there was no lie in what she said. Nari had chosen her words carefully. Although many of the non-player chara

They’d left the town quickly, Nemo excited for the company, and Nari clearly in a rush to enter the garden and begin the trails of locating anything of value. Not that she was entirely waiting just for the garden to come into view – her hands and eyes plucking at any flowers and fruits that they passed along the way, following the road that wound deeper into the flowing fields beyond the Town of Beginning. ’It’s been some time since you visited, I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to return!’ Nemo beamed as he spoke, as if seeing an old friend for the first time in decades. Th

Nature's Treasure: Little Eden ’What was they said about overdoing things?’ Nari didn’t look over at Onora as she continued walking through the town’s streets, looking for any sign of the man-drake that would lead them to the garden. She’d heard earlier in the day that the form of Nemo had been seen roaming the first floor once more, as if taunting players to come find him – a task that Nari had been more than inclined to accept. Onora had been dragged along in the excuse of having a day away from the shop – the blonde had been attending to it with a fervor that screams oncoming burnout –

The glitter of multiple colours breached the water a single second before Nari pulled the line fully from the depths of the lake. She felt the excitement growing in her as she confirmed the collection of the fish – a rainbow trout, from the depths of the lake that contained glittering scales of multiple colours. Collecting her other assortments of fish, she turned towards the house that she had left behind mere hours ago, prepared to return to Anthony and confirm that she had completed the task at hand. Her steps were long and fast as Mio followed her through the forest; the small kitsu

Another draw backwards and another dark scaled fish at her feet. Nari glanced at the pile collecting beside her, wondering if there would be anything specific she would need to do in order to find her special fish. She didn’t think there would be, but who was she to doubt the actions of the game? ’Hey, Mio, think salmon steaks would be good for dinner? Or…cod…or whatever these things are? Fish steaks, I guess.’ She glanced down at the kitsune, seeing the single eye staring back at her with an expression that was less than enthused at having been woken up just to give an opinion on cooking

The line sudden snapped heavily in her hand, and Nari was shaken back to reality as she realised she’d drifted off in thought. She reeled in the bait and line, saddened to find nothing attached to the end of it, before releasing it back into the water. Alright, this is taking a long, long time. I feel like I’ve been here for hours already. In reality, she knew she’d barely been there an hour – but something about the relaxed activity, and the calmness of everything around her left her feeling as though it had been far longer. Sighing to herself, she confirmed the idea that she was going to be

Maybe that’s still plausible. If nothing else, the death game makes you appreciate every second a bit more…if you’re not wandering around in fear and horror at the thought of immediate execution. Nari felt herself frown. Another thought had come across her mind, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to take it as she glanced down at Mio suddenly. Is it really any more dangerous than our own world? Sure, we lived in relative safety and didn’t have to consistently fight for survive…with weapons. There was definitely fighting for survival though… Nari frowned further. She’d never been uncomfortab

Maybe they were right about something. Even a broken clock… She grinned to herself at the comparison, before remembering that it was a rude statement in the way she had thought it. Still, she couldn’t quite find it in herself to apologise for the attitude, especially seeing as it had been self-contained and not heard by anyone else. Turning her thoughts, she glanced across the lake into the woodlands beyond. The expanse stretched further than Nari could really see, and she found herself wondering at the way in which it covered and shifted. Browns and greens, mixed with various spots of co

The wind had picked up at some point, and as Nari watched the bobbing fishing line, she began to understand why people enjoyed the activity. There was a level of calmness, of peace and tranquility behind it. Perhaps not the same as pure meditation, or martial arts, but a calmness that seemed to settle over her and the land around her. The lapping of waves dulled any real thoughts, and the way in which the breeze combed through the tree line left her feeling oddly relaxed; more relaxed than she had felt in some time. Is this why everyone says to get out and fish? She thought back to many o

The line gave another jerk, and as Nari pulled in another fish – this one dark in scales, compared to the lighter scaled one she’d obtained earlier – she considered how long she would have to be sitting here. She knew that these quests always took time, though somehow she thought that the act of finding a specific fish would take even longer. Good thing I don’t have any major plans today, then. Onora will be a bit peeved though, so I’ll have to make it up to her somehow… She considered all the ways in which she could make amends, deciding that taking her newfound skills and applying them to ma